


Pride and Prejudice

by Chatdelalune (orphan_account)



Category: Mystic Messenger (Video Game), Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
Genre: Eventual Romance, F/M, It's perfect, Regency Romance, Slow Burn, We can't stand closer than 6ft and neither can they!, like a dying fire or something, listen, we're all in quarantine so what's better than some regency era romance?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-25
Updated: 2020-03-26
Packaged: 2021-03-01 03:22:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,775
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23318293
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/Chatdelalune
Summary: While attending a ball at Netherfield Park, you overhear a conversation in which a dour Mr. Jumin Han refuses to dance with you. Despite his decision, Jumin becomes completely enchanted by you. And you can’t help but feel a strange connection with him.
Relationships: Han Jumin/Main Character, Han Jumin/Reader
Comments: 2
Kudos: 26





	Pride and Prejudice

The excitement levels in your home could be sensed from nearly half-a-mile way, not that anyone noticed as the entire town held the same bubbling energy. 

Typically an assembly ball didn’t garner so much excitement as it wasn’t a very formal or rare affair. It was a public event that could be attended by anyone that purchased a ticket. But tonight there would be someone new attending, a young and wealthy bachelor who had recently rented out the Netherfield estate. According to the rumors, he was also to bring several gentlemen and ladies with him. 

Your father had already called upon him, and he had returned the visit, bringing great relief to your mother, so that the rest of the family might be introduced. Since there was no heir to the family estate, it was a top priority of your mother’s that your sisters and you married well. Especially since your family didn’t have much to offer in terms of fortune nor connections. 

Once the servant finished with your hair, you quickly went to go visit your sister, Jieun. According to your mother, she was the most beautiful daughter and it wasn’t difficult to agree. With her long golden hair, and statuesque face, she easily captured the classic Grecian look that everyone admired. The servant was placing the final touches on her hair, making small adjustments to the curls that adorned her face. 

You quickly took the chance to tease your sister by poking her on the side, causing her to jerk back and laugh.

“Someone seems excited.” She commented.

“Well, who wouldn’t be? New ladies to make pleasant conversation with, and new gentlemen to dance with.” You replied with a giggle. 

“Well, I for one, can’t with to dance with all the new gentlemen!” Sehui, your youngest sister stated, peeking her head through the door before leaving again. 

“On the subject of new gentlemen, apparently Mr. Kim purchased the Netherfield estate by pure chance,” said Jiheun. “When he came down a few weeks ago on his carriage pulled by four horses he was so enchanted with it that he agreed with Mr. Park immediately!”

“But I think the real question, is not his luck or wealth, but rather his manners and looks.”

“Sister! Why, if he’s a gentleman of that status, then he sure to be well-mannered.”

“That we shall see,” you teased as you rested your chin upon her hair. 

Your sister, one of the most handsome girls in the county, was extremely well-mannered and humble. All the world agreeable and good in her eyes, never having spoken ill of anyone in her whole life. Perhaps that was also where her fault lied, as she was most trusting of everyone she met. 

But it was also the quality that enamoured everyone she met, her goodness a charm most welcoming.  
.…

Upon arriving at the assembly hall, the lively music could be heard from far beyond its walls. You couldn’t help but grin in anticipation as the carriage drew closer to the place. You couldn’t wait to dance and talk all night, although it was a possibility that you could be left partnerless at some point due to the lack of gentlemen. But if anything, it would just give you a chance to rest since most dances were quite taxing on the body. 

Your closest friend, Jaehee, was already waiting for you by the entrance of the place. She too was brimming with excitement, dressed in a dark colored gown that complimented her fair skin.

“Has Mr. Kim arrived yet,” you asked, already straining your neck to look around the large crowd. 

“I’m afraid not,” she chuckled and brushed a stray curl away from her face. “Although, I too look forward to his arrival.”

“Do you think he’s handsome?”

“Hmm...I hope so. According to Lady Kang, he’s quite handsome but you know how she is.”

The two of you shared a look before giggling. Lady Kang, Jaehee’s aunt, was not hard to spot, for she often wore brighter color dresses that didn’t suit her mature age and settled herself in the middle of all the other matrons. She quite enjoyed her title and held herself to act in that higher position, despite her lack of right. It was both hilarious and irritating. 

In the middle of your joking, a sudden hush fell over the loud room and everyone occupying it turned their heads to the entrance. Standing awkwardly at the door was a small group of three, consisting of two men and one woman. They were clearly of the upper class, judging from their attire and air, and extremely good-looking. 

The tension was broken by a smile and greeting from the man with bright hair, who had a pleasant countenance and easy manners. Jaehee pointed out that it had to be Jihyun Kim because of his unique features. The blonde woman next to him was his distant cousin Rika, who was a fine woman with an extremely charismatic air. However, it was Jumin Han who drew the attention of the room due to his fine person, tall height, noble mien, and large fortune, reported to be twice as much as Jihyun’s. 

When your father introduced your family and you to the group, you couldn’t help but linger your eyes on Jumin a little longer than necessary. His sharp features were pleasant to the eyes, though his disdainful frown was more than enough to push anyone away. 

But the admiration for him didn’t last long as halfway through the night his manners turned the tides for his popularity. He was discovered to be proud, to be too good for the company, and to be above being pleased, and at that moment not one cent of his wealth could prevent his disagreeable character and made him most unworthy compared to his friend. 

Jihyun had acquainted himself with all the main people in the room; he was lively and unreserved, which was seen by his dancing every dance, and his annoyance that the ball ended so early. An especially impressive feat when one considered the fact that one single dance lasted around 30 minutes and that a ball lasted about 6 hours. Why, he even talked of hosting one himself at Netherfield. These qualities made him a very good figure in the eyes of the people; it offered a stark contrast compared to his friend. 

Jumin only danced once with Rika and refused to be introduced to any other lady. He spent the rest of the evening walking around the room, occasionally speaking with others of his own party. It was the last nail on the coffin. He was declared to be the proudest, most disagreeable man in the world, and everyone hoped he would never show his face again. While your general opinion of him was not good, it formed into something sharper when he insulted you. 

You had to sit down for two dances, due to the scarcity of gentlemen, and at that point, Jumin was standing close enough for you to hear the conversation between him and Jihyun, who had spared a few minutes from the dance to persuade his friend to join it. 

“Jumin, you should dance with someone else too,” he said. “I feel a bit sad, seeing you stand here all by yourself.”

“I will not. You already know how much I hate dancing with people I don’t know. At this assembly much less. I’ve already danced with Rika, and there is not another woman in this room to which it would not be a punishment to dance with.”

“Don’t be so harsh. I’ve never met with so many pleasant girls in my life, and there are many who are uncommonly pretty.”

“You say that because you are dancing with the only handsome girl in the room,” Jumin replied, looking over at your sister, Jiheun. 

“Oh! She is one of the most beautiful creatures I’ve ever seen. But one of her sisters, who is both pretty and most agreeable, is sitting behind you. I can ask Jiheun to introduce you to her.”

He turned his head to look at you for a moment, your eyes meeting each other briefly, before he turned back to his friend.

“She is better than most, but not so good-looking as to tempt me. Besides, I’m in no mood to dance with a woman who can’t even get herself a partner. Go back to Jiheun and enjoy the rest of your night.”

You felt yourself stiffen at his words, and scoffed. Why the nerve of that arrogant man! What right does he have to say that when he can’t even find another person other than his friends to talk to! He shouldn’t have even come here if he thought he was above his company. You had to fight the urge to laugh at the ridiculousness of his behavior as you silently scolded him; he stiffened as if he could hear your silent remarks. You quickly rose from your seat, raising an eyebrow as you passed him.

He winced, not having meant for you to hear it, but being labeled a prey by all these gold digging women and their daughters was suffocating and tended to ruin a person’s mood. He quickly walked away from you, feeling awkward about the situation. He saw later, out of the corner of his eye, you and Jihyun dancing together. You made eye contact and he could swear that you stuck your tongue at him when his friend's back was turned. 

Later on you told this story in great spirit to your friends, your held in laughter finally let out, though no pleasant feelings remained towards him. Jaehee covered her mouth as she giggled at your story. 

“I can only imagine what sort of ‘gentleman’ he’s supposed to be.There is no good gentleman, nor man for that matter, who would dare to say such a thing so boldly.”

“Well at least it got him off of every mother’s wish list of desirable son-in-laws.”

“True, but I’ll have to suffer listening to my aunt’s complaints…”

“Maybe not, afterall Jihyun seems to be a very amiable character and talks of hosting a private ball soon. Your aunt should find no lack of potential suitors to hunt after.”

A look of relief spread across her face and she smiled again.

“You always know what to say.”

You winked at her, making her laugh again at your antics. The rest of your family spent the evening quite well compared to you, especially Jiheun who had danced twice with Jihyun, which was the most dances a gentleman could share with the same lady, and had become friends with Rika. Sehui was fortunate enough to never be without a partner.

Dancing is an intimate sort of occasion, an intoxicating and complicated courtship that allows the two partners to feel each other's close proximity. And since the number of dances with the same person was limited, dancing with the same partner twice shows an extreme interest in them. So it was no surprise that your sister was quite gratified by the night’s events, and you could feel happiness radiating from Jiheun despite her lack of words.

...

It was only when you and your sister were alone that she expressed her deep admiration for Jihyun, too shy to say anything before anyone else. 

“He is the very definition of perfection! He’s kind, sensible, selfless, good-humored, so easy going-such perfect good breeding!”

“He also happens to be handsome, which neatly completes the package.”

“I was so flattered when he asked me to dance a second time. Truth be told, I didn’t expect such a compliment.”

“You know what I find incredible? You always seemed to be surprised by these compliments, but never me. Why if anything, it was completely natural, seeing that you’re one of the prettiest women in that room. It doesn’t take a genius to figure that out. He’s very agreeable, so I’ll leave you be. You’ve liked stupider people before.”

“Dear sister!” She widened her eyes and pretended to be offended. 

“You can’t deny I’m not wrong. But I’m always shocked by your sincere kindness towards others, never having a bad thing to say about them.”

“Well, I don’t want to make any hasty judgements. I always speak my mind though.”

“That’s the surprising thing. You’re being candid without a plan or ulterior motives, to take the good of every person and make it better, to say nothing of the bad, is a trait unique to you. Speaking of which, how did you find that man’s cousin, Rika? Her manners were not anywhere near his.”

“Not at first, but when you talk with her, she makes a most charming lady! Apparently since Jihyun has no sisters, Rika is going to live with him and run his home; and I am much mistaken if I don’t think we’ll find a pleasant neighbor in her.”

You bit your lip as your sister continued to talk. There was something off about her, that you didn’t quite trust. Her behavior at the assembly was not made to please in general. Possessing both more quickness of observation and less flexibility of temper than your sister, and with a judgment too lacking in reflection of self, you were less inclined to approve of them. While there was no doubt that she was a very fine lady, not lacking in good humor when she was pleased, nor making herself agreeable when she wanted to, she was arrogant and assuming. Rika was very pretty and had been educated in one of the first private seminaries in town, with a fortune of twenty thousand pounds. She ran a successful charity organisation and was in the habit of associating with people of higher status, and was therefore well within her right to think highly of herself and poorly of others. She and Jihyun were of a respectable family that lived in the southern part of the country, a circumstance based more on memory than wealth, which had mostly been accumulated through trade. 

Jihyun had inherited property worth nearly 100,000 pounds from his father, who had wanted to buy an estate but didn’t live to do it. Jihyun had the same intentions and had sometimes managed to choose which county he wanted to buy the manor in. But now that he was renting the Netherfield estate, he had all the benefits of owning land without any of the attached responsibilities, and those who best knew his relaxed nature questioned whether or not he was going to stay at Netherfield or leave it for his children to purchase. 

Rika was anxious for him to actually purchase an estate of his own, and though he was only renting for now, she was not unwilling to run his home. To her, anything was preferable to living with her parents. It hadn’t even been two years after he turned 18, that Jihyun had found Netherfield property by accident. It only took thirty minutes for Jihyun to review to manor before finding himself satisfied with the rooms and what the owner said in praise of it and agreeing to rent it. 

Between Jihyun and Jumin, they shared one of the most trusting friendships, having related to each other in many different aspects in spite of differences in character. Jihyun liked Jumin for his frankness, his openness, his calmness, and his caring character. He greatly treasured his friend, and thought most highly of his opinions. Though Jumin was superior, Jihyun was by no means deficient, but Jumin was clever. At the same time, however, he was also haughty, and fastidious, with well-bred manners that were not inviting. In this way, Jihyun greatly had the advantage. Jihyun was sure to be liked wherever he went, and Jumin was continually giving offense. 

The way they each described the assembly ball, especially showcased the differences in their characteristics. Jihyun couldn’t stop talking about all the pleasant people he had met with, no formalities or stiffness in them welcoming him, and all the pretty girls he had seen, particularly Jiheun. Meanwhile, all that Jumin had seen was a group of people with little beauty or fashion, of which none he had felt the slightest interest, and had received neither attention nor pleasure from. Should he have been more like his friend, the mothers of daughters would never leave him alone. He admitted that Jiheun was pretty, but she smiled too much. 

Rika liked and admired Jiheun. Enough that she wouldn’t mind getting to know her more, of which Jihyun took in mind both statements as a sort of permission to get to know the girl better.


End file.
